Immersing herself in the music of Brazil and India helped Melody Walker discover her native "Americali" voice.

"We were trying to figure out what our genesis is," said Walker, a Northern California singer-songwriter. "We're Americana with a California twist. A little bit of world music with a new-age spirituality. We made up that word."

Americali, which Walker and Jacob Groopman perform on acoustic instruments while harmonizing vocally, derives largely from her college experiences in Humboldt County and month-long musical excursions to Brazil and India.

"I was able to see how different cultures approach music," Walker said from her Richmond residence. "It was very enlightening. The more I traveled, the more I got curious about my own roots music at home. Trying to find out where the music of my culture comes from."

Walker and Groopman play their California-accented traditional music Saturday at the Sutter Creek Theatre.

Walker even delved into vintage new-wave pop and Americali-fied "Dreaming," a kinetic song popularized by Deborah Harry and New York's Blondie in 1979. It's on "Gold Rush Goddess," Walker's 2012 debut album.

"That happened totally by accident," Walker, 27, said. "It was my dad's idea. ... I'd never heard the song. We just tried it out and really loved how it sounded."

Her dad, Brian Walker - a Bay Area singer, songwriter and guitar player - also provided her with "really eclectic" influences: bluegrass, bossa nova, blues, folk and Irish folk.

She discovered the indigenous sounds of Brazil and India on her own, traveling to those countries in 2006 and 2007.

"The way Brazilians feel is so above and beyond any kind of fanaticism we know in this country," Walker said. "They love it. They really, really get into it. Like jogging laps around the stage. It's beyond moshing or anything I've ever seen. Nobody's ashamed to sing along. They're vivacious.

"India has ragas. ... That exotic flair and a much more broad spectrum. Western music only has a few scales. India has hundreds. Different feelings and moods."

Born in Martinez (the name of a song on her album), Walker - an only child - was surrounded by music. Dad Brian, who works in a power plant, liked the Beatles. Mom Gigi, who manages a body shop for buses in Concord, favored the Rolling Stones: "I had the best of both worlds."

Her dad is a "community" musician who founded the Martinez Music Society and organized folk festivals. She included one of his songs ("Stars Align") on her album.

"I'd just sit and play piano and tell my parents I was composing little songs," she said of her early teen years. "I had a lot of emotion I needed to vent. A song is a healthy way to do that, and other people can relate to it."

After the Iraq war began in 2003, Walker decided to study political science at Humboldt State University.

"I was heavily into protesting and feeling very politicized," she said. "When (George W.) Bush got re-elected (2004), I quickly lost interest and the heart for it. Screw this. We need more fundamental change. Anything's gotta be from a spiritual place. The heart. Studying music."

That included doing solo shows around Arcata, samba drumming in Womama, a world-fusion-funk band, and a singing in AkaBella, a women's a cappella vocal ensemble.

She and Groopman, 30, met when their groups shared a show in Arcata. He's an Oberlin (Ohio) College graduate who grew up in the other Richmond. In Virginia.

Walker found a suitably earthy place to craft their Americali sound - in Caspar (Mendocino County). The studio once was a school and a general store.

"We definitely were going for more of that classic kind of sound," Walker said. "Just let the songs lead us. ... Most important was a serene, un-distracted environment. No cell-phone service. Just the album. That was it."

Walker and Groopman have larger ambitions: "Two people can make a lot of sound. It's also cheap and convenient. We just did a two-month U.S. tour in a Toyota Corolla. Someday, we'd like to have a really rocking band.

"Our tunes are a new take on the idea of a spiritual song. We're trying to make our own version."